Fix Me
by NeverSky
Summary: What if Damon never went to Mystic Falls and met Elena? More importantly what happens when Damon walks into a bar expecting a drink and a meal and meets a feisty bartender with a dark past of her own. Will they be able to fix each other?
1. Chapter 1

***A/N* Hey guys so this is my first attempt at writing a romance fanfiction so please comment/review and tell me what you think and if I need to improve anything. Plus i'm open to suggestions if anyone has any good ideas on the plot since I am basically making this up as I go (*nudge nudge wink wink*). I love Damon's character and I am a Delena shipper but lately I feel as if it's getting old/it's just the same old story so I decided to make a separate love story for Damon just to see how it goes. Enjoy! :D *A/N***

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Damon opened the door to a local bar and stepped across the threshold, instantly greeted with the sounds of chatter and laughter roaring over the soft sound of music playing in the background. The atmosphere and surroundings reminded Damon of the Mystic Grill. Carefully he made his way over to the bar and sat on a bar stool in the corner. He leaned up against the counter as he looked around the room, observing his surroundings. There was a pool table in the corner around which a small group of people had gathered around to play beer pong. Others were scattered around, eating and chatting at the tables in the mini restaurant over to the side. It was too quiet for a quick feed, too calm, too noticeable.

Damon heard a pulsing dubstep beat reach his ears from somewhere to his left where a door had just opened. He caught a glimpse of flashing lights and neon colors before the door swung closed and the room was peaceful again. Damon smirked. He would check out that room later. The beat reminded him of a heartbeat and for a moment he felt the veins under his eyes begin to emerge as a twinge of hunger hit. The darkness of the corner covered him enough that no one noticed as the veins receded and his face returned to normal.

He needed to curb his hunger until he found the perfect prey. Damon turned around to face the bar and looked around for the bartender to bring him a shot of Bourbon. She appeared moments later from a backroom, sensing a customer, and noticed him sitting behind the counter.

"A shot of Bourbon." he ordered giving her a smirk as she made her way over to him. She was pretty, he noticed. The kind of pretty that was natural, she didn't have tons of make up on Damon observed. In fact, he would be quite surprised if she had any. Her wavy light brown hair was up in a messy ponytail in which a few strands hung freely and framed her face. Her full lips were a rosy pink and her dark brown eyes made her seem dark and mysterious, as if she knew and had seen things most people would never see. Her appearance alone intrigued Damon. The way she carried herself with poise and immediately, as if by some impulse, he could tell she was not like most humans that he had encountered.

She walked off to grab the bottle of Bourbon and returned to pour it into a shot glass and set it in front of Damon. She kept her eyes down the entire time and barely glanced at him as if she was disinterested in him, which surprised Damon even more. Not many people could resist his natural charm. Most girls would stare the minute they saw him. This bartender hardly batted an eye. His ego was hurt. Damon picked up the newly filled glass and downed it in one gulp, setting it on the counter before giving her another sly smile. Seeing that he had finished his glass, she turned around still holding the bottle and nonchalantly filled it again before walking into the backroom, not giving him the chance to down it a second time. Damon smiled, he liked a challenge.

He stood up and downed his second shot before walking around the bar counter to follow the girl into the backroom. As he neared the backroom, Damon could see she was busy fixing shelves and rearranging bottles. Her back was to him. From his place at the door Damon could hear her pulse beating in her neck. He smiled and ignored the cravings this time as he walked up to her. Just as he was a foot away, she sensed a presence and turned around to face him. Damon was closer than she expected and she turned around to look into his blue eyes inches from her face. She gasped. He could see a faint trace of surprise in her eyes before she put up a wall again, disinterested.

"You're not supposed to be back here." She told him sternly.

"I know." He replied. "But you kind of left me no choice since you took the Bourbon." he joked flashing another smile pointing to the bottle in her left hand.

"I'm going to have to ask you to go back outside." She continued taking a step back and ignoring his advances.

"Fine, I will go back if you bring the Bourbon." he told her as she stared at him. After a moment, she nodded and Damon walked back out into the bar and sat down in his seat waiting patiently with his empty shot glass. She reappeared moments later and he noticed her white name tag: Charlotte, he read. She came over and refilled his glass for the third time. However, this time he grabbed the neck of the bottle and put a silent finger to his lips as he looked up at her with his baby blue eyes. She stared at him appalled at his behavior and held onto the bottle. Damon could tell she was carefully debating what to do until she realized she wasn't going to win. She rolled her eyes at him, and let go of the bottle. Seeing her services no longer necessary, Charlotte began to turn away again before Damon reached over and grabbed her wrist, turning her so she faced him as he compelled her.

"Follow me." he told her as he got up and made his way towards a back door in the corner of the bar. As he walked Damon looked behind him, seeing that she was indeed following him. As he opened the door he found himself in a dark alleyway in which the only source of illumination was a distant street lamp. Perfect, he thought. She followed him outside and stood in the empty alleyway and Damon closed the door behind them.

"Why did I follow you out here?" she suddenly questioned confused.

"Because I told you to." Damon replied smiling.

"I need to go back inside, i'm not supposed to be out here." She told him making her way to the door. Suddenly, Damon vamped in front of her blocking her exit. Her eyes widened a fraction as she attempted to process what she had just seen.

"Why are you so uptight, relax a little." Damon cajoled.

The statement visibly infuriated her. "That's easy for you to say, some drunk who's made a mess of his life while some of us have to actually work to survive." she exclaimed.

Damon stared at her smirking, yet secretly appalled. "Although those are mostly true," he began. "I am more than just surviving." He could hear the blood pumping through her veins louder than ever and he felt the presence of fangs protruding. She stared at him wide eyed as his face transformed and veins appeared underneath his red eyes.

"What are you?" she questioned staring at him. Her full attention was now on him, Damon had broken through her wall of apathy. What surprised Damon, was that she didn't seem scared. Her eyes, while wide, did not show so much fear as they did curiosity, a sincere interest in what he was. Damon frowned. His surprise shocked him enough for Damon to momentarily forget his blood lust and his eyes returned to normal. No one had ever stopped to ask questions in the middle of a hunt. Normally their one singular thought was to get away from him. Yet she made no move toward the door.

"Aren't you afraid of me?" He asked her confused.

Charlotte stared at him, specifically under his eyes at the place where the veins had just vanished. "No." she replied. "What in the world are you?" she questioned again analyzing his every move.

Damon was shocked. This had never happened before. When humans usually saw his face they turned and ran. It was what made the hunt exciting. But Charlotte wasn't afraid. She was curious. This made her very interesting, Damon was partially curious as to what she would do if she knew the truth, he decided to tell her.

"I'm a vampire." he stated bluntly observing her reaction.

"A what?" she questioned her eyes growing wide.

"A vamp-" he began to repeat himself.

"No, no, I heard you. It's just," She paused "their real? I mean…. you're real?" She asked. Damon looked down at himself and looked back at her as if to say _Do I look real to you?_

"No, it was all a joke and I faked the veins coming out of my eyes." He stated sarcastically partially waiting to see if she believed him. Like most humans, would she take the first scapegoat offered and be relieved it was all a joke? Instead, she stood staring at him in cold silence, deciding how to reply. Finally, she spoke up.

"How...how did you get to be what you are?" she asked him hesitantly her eyes still full of curiosity.

"That's a long story I'm not sure I'm ready to tell." He told her slyly. "And what is your story? I tell you that I'm a vampire and you're not even a little afraid?" He asked.

She crossed her arms. "If you were going to kill me you would have done it already." she stated defiantly.

"True," Damon acknowledged. "That doesn't mean I still couldn't"

"You won't" she stated confidently.

"Oh really?" He asked and seconds later he was once again in front of her, close enough to smell her perfume and hear the pulse in her neck. Charlotte's breathing hitched for a second as he stared into her eyes. He had come to the bar expecting a drink and to find a hot girl to feed off of. He had not expected this defiant and brave bartender. _Had he told her too much_ Damon wondered _he couldn't let her tell anyone that he was a vampire for the danger of running into a witch or a werewolf in the town who hated vampires._ Yet something in him wanted her to remember.

"Look, say I let you go. I could make you forget everything." he told her. "And you could get back to your life."

"What if I don't want to forget." she replied still staring.

"You are a loose end that could expose me, and I don't like loose ends. Why should I let you remember?" he snapped.

"You don't have to worry. Your secret is safe with me." she assured him "Besides, I don't have anyone to tell."

This girl intrigued him. Damon would admit that and something about her made him trust her. Against all of his insecure instincts to make her forget everything and vanish from her memory, Damon vamped away and vanished into the darkness of the alleyway leaving Charlotte standing outside alone.


	2. Chapter 2

Charlotte stood alone in silence in the dark alleyway surprised and mystified. Vampires were real. And if they were what else was? Deciding that there was no more reason for her to stay outside in the cold Charlotte walked back and used her key to open the back door. She returned to her station and found a few more annoyed alcoholics sitting a the bar looking like they were upset that they were sober. She poured them a few shots and their complaining faded into the distance. It continued like this for a couple more hours. She would pour people drinks and they would quiet down, and eventually when they were done, they would stumble out of the bar. If anyone tried to flirt with her she would shrug them off and continue pouring them alcohol until they became too drunk to care.

The whole time she was halfheartedly pouring alcohol she was thinking, wondering about the stranger who told her he was a vampire. Why didn't she shrug him off when he tried to flirt with her? Could she sense there was something different about him, then? No, she ignored him just like any other drunk. However, he didn't just give up and sit down. And more importantly, why did she follow him outside? Why wasn't she afraid of him? Charlotte's mind was a jumble of questions and she was nowhere close to getting any answers. She continued her shift wondering until every last customer had left. Somewhere around 2 am she closed up shop and locked the front and back doors so no more visitors would come. As she was cleaning up the tables and putting away glasses and taking out the trash her manager walked out of the dubstep room which was now errily quiet.

"Easy night?" he asked and she nodded as she wiped down the tables.

"Well I cleaned the room in there, all the trash and all so you don't have to worry about it." he told her motioning to the room he had just exited.

"Ok, thanks." she told him.

"Where's Violet today?" he asked her. "She usually helps you out on days like this."

"She's home sick." Charlotte replied.

"Well remind me to get on her about that." her manager replied smiling. "Would you like any help?" he asked looking around the room.

"No, I've got it. You go on ahead." she told him finishing up.

"You sure?" he asked again.

"Yeah, I've got it." Charlotte replied.

"Ok." He nodded and walked out the door. "Have a good night!" he called back to her before he left, got in his car, and drove away.

Charlotte stood alone in the bar and finished cleaning up. When she was done she turned off the lights walked out the front door and locked it again, just to make sure. Finally done, she got in her car around 2:45 am and began to drive home. Meanwhile she listened to the nightly talk shows and news that came on around this time. The voice of a news anchor came out at her through her car speaker: "...the prevalence of animal attacks in the area has increased leaving wildlife experts appalled at the change in behavior. Authorities are currently investigating the cause of these attacks but the source still remains unknown." Animal attacks? she wondered. That was a first, the town had murders and theft, sure, but animal attacks were unheard of. As she drove along in her car, Charlotte noticed a dark shape appearing in her headlights in the middle of the road, blocking both lanes. She slowed down to avoid hitting it and managed to come to a stop meters from the dark shape. She parked her car and got out approaching the thing until she recognized a human shape.

"Hey, are you ok!?" she called. As she walked closer she could make out features and she recognized the man from the bar a couple hours ago. In a swift motion he got up off the ground and within milliseconds was standing right in front of her, dried blood around his mouth. He stared at her for a second before he recognized her.

"Charlotte?" he asked looking at her curiously.

"Yeah." she replied still confused about what to make of him. "What are you doing? Laying out in the middle of the road?" From the way he moved and held himself, different from before, she could tell that he was intoxicated.

"I don't know. I'm... lost." he told her.

"Well where do you need to go?" she asked.

"Not that kind of lost." he told her. "Existentially."

The more and more she found about about this man the more he intrigued her. A vampire with a conscience? However, the words hit deep with her because she knew the feeling all too well, and somehow, she understood him.

"Come on," she told him. "Let's get off the road."

"No," he told her. "I'm 174 years old, I've seen things no human alive to day has ever seen. Yet none of it matters, none of it."

"I'll tell you what does matter." she snapped. "Getting off this road. I'd like to see you try your vampire abilities against an oncoming car." she told him and helped him up.

"I would still win." he muttered smirking and Charlotte rolled her eyes. She was treating this man like a human even though not but a few hours ago he had shown himself to be a monster. Yet for some reason she wasn't afraid. Why wasn't she afraid?

The man stood up and faced her, staring at her with his piercing blue eyes.

"I never caught your name." she told him as he looked at her.

"It's Damon." he told her. "Damon Salvatore."

"I'm Charlotte," she replied.

"I know," he told her and then clarified. "Your name-tag."

"Oh." she replied and looked down at the name-tag that was still pinned to the front of her blouse.

"My friends call me Char." she told him.

"And am I a friend?" Damon asked her.

"I'm not sure yet." she replied smiling.

He was certainly more sober now than he was when he was laying down in the middle of the road; Charlotte noticed. As she thought about it her mind only developed more questions about who this strange man was.

"Why were you laying out in the middle of the road?" she asked him curiously.

She had apparently said the wrong thing because Damon frowned remembering something and not answering her question. They stood in silence for a moment before Charlotte spoke.

"Look, do you need a ride anywhere?" she asked him.

Damon raised an eyebrow. "You are willingly inviting a vampire into your car?"

Charlotte shrugged. "You don't seem as big and bad as they make vampires out to be."

"Well that is a stupid answer." Damon snapped. "You don't even know me, I could snap your neck without even blinking. Bite into your neck and drain you of blood until there was nothing left and not waste a drop. I could kill you now and not feel any remorse because I am that monster."

As he spoke veins slowly began to appear under his eyes which turned red. From in between his lips Charlotte could see fangs poking out.

Charlotte stared at him wide eyed as she carefully observed the formation of veins in his eyes. "Your only the monster you make yourself out to be." she told him.

"None of this means anything to me. None of it." he told her and before she could say another word he vanished into the night. Leaving Charlotte, for the second time tonight, standing outside alone.

"Fine!" Charlotte called after him angrily. "Stay here alone and see if I care!"

She went and got into her car, started it up, and drove away. By the time she got home it was 3:30 and she was so exhausted she stopped only to take her shoes off before she curled up in her bed and fell asleep. Her dreams were plagued with shadowy figures with piercing blue eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

Fix Me - Chapter 3

***A/N* So I haven't written any in this story for a while but since it's just begun and still has potential (and a couple reviewers requested more) I guess I will satisfy your cravings (for now :P). Enjoy :) *A/N***

Damon vamped away from the spot he had been standing in. It was all too much. Who did she think she was!? This girl that he had barely met was acting as if she knew him, understood him, she was asking him to confide in her. It was almost as if she thought she could relate. She was telling him he wasn't a monster when all signs pointed to the contrary. How could that be? Earlier tonight he tried to feed on her, bite on her neck and drink until there was nothing left. She saw the veins under his eyes, the hunger in them. How could she not be afraid? She must be desperate or delusional Damon concluded. There was no human in their right mind who was not afraid of him the moment he decided to feed. It was what made it interesting: the power of the kill. He was a predator and they were the prey. It was simple. So why wasn't she afraid?

Damon thought back to when he first discovered the existence of vampires. How the same veins first appeared on the eyes of an angel: Katherine Pierce, the most beautiful girl he had ever met. It wasn't long after he saw her that Damon fell madly in love. She was the light in his world, and he felt himself so drawn to her that when he discovered her secret, it didn't matter. Nothing mattered as long as she was his. The fact that she was a vampire only made him more curious, more loyal. Damon had always cared more, and done more for Katherine than anyone so he couldn't understand why she could possibly be interested in his brother, Stefan who showed less attention and more hesitation. However, the fact that she was not already his made Damon want Katherine even more. He craved her, and would have done anything for her. In fact, she would have still been with him if it wasn't for Stefan's inability to keep anything from their father. Did Stefan not see how much this meant to him? Did he not see the fear in his eyes when Damon told him to keep the secret? Stefan was the reason she was caught, the reason Damon died, the reason he became a vampire.

When Damon promised his brother an eternity of misery, he wasn't acting out of anger. Damon knew exactly what Stefan had cost him: the love of his life and the life that he once knew. Damon's promise ensured that his brother would feel his suffering just as strongly. It was years before Damon discovered that Katherine survived, that she created her own means of escape from the deadly fire. In those years, Damon lost himself. Everything he knew, his family, his love, his future, they were all gone. Afterwards, all Damon had to do with his time was learn all he could about this magical world he was now a part of. Through persistent research, Damon later learned that Katherine was not dead but in fact trapped in a tomb that could only be opened using the magic from a comet. However, this comet, that was used to bind the spell, only came around once every hundred years or so. Damon had waited over a century to be reunited with his one true love. A century he spent imagining the moment when he would open the tomb and see her again. Would she like him as a vampire? Maybe now he would finally be good enough to have her all to himself. After all, HE was the one who searched for her, Damon was the one who would open the tomb to set her free. After this she would finally be his entirely.

With that thought he waved all memories of this Charlotte girl aside. In a month he would return to Mystic Falls, open the tomb and finally become happy. She was nothing compared to Katherine and her attempts to understand him were nothing more than the fantasies of a girl who read too many vampire books. Damon had waited decades. Those decades filled with careful planning for this exact moment, he would not let his girl ruin it.

***A/N* I know some people might find this chapter a bit boring and actionless and that it just reviews that we already know from TVD but I think it's important to show Damon's mindset here and his perspective of things. More interesting chapters to come! Tell me how i'm doing, don't forget to review :) *A/N***


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

As Charlotte opened her eyes the next morning she could already feel the memories of her dreams fading away. The ghosts of the dark figures with teeth disappeared with the sunlight that filled her room. She sighed and laid in bed for a moment longer, not ready to get up, as her mind began to recall last night's events. What began as a normal shift turned into this overwhelming and confusing discovery. Vampires were real, and she had met one. In fact, she tried to help one. Charlotte still wasn't quite sure why she had, or why she even trusted him. But something inside her understood him, and she could not turn away. The one thing she couldn't understand was his mood swings. He was so sincere and open one minute then closed off and lashed out the next. However, his very existence intrigued her and she knew she had to find out more.

After thorough contemplation and time arguing with herself, Charlotte decided to get up. She swung her feet around and sat up on her bed while ruffling one hand through her messy bed hair. It was almost noon, and bars of sunlight peeked through the closed blinds on her windows. Slowly, Charlotte got up and opened them, letting the warmth of midday fill her tiny apartment. As she opened her sliding glass door and walked out onto the tiny adjourned balcony she began to hear the noises of a busy city street. As the warm air blew and ruffled her hair she attempted to put the stranger out of her mind. He obviously wanted nothing to do with her, by the way he left her standing in the street without a word. But she couldn't forget what she had learned.

Charlotte decided to find out more. After a few minutes of fresh air she went back inside and grabbed her laptop. She opened it and began typing in everything she could think of related to what she heard the night before into a Google search. Most of the results mentioned Twilight and the typical vampire books that teenage girls read. She had never really been interested in that stuff; she had much more important things going on then. After about an hour of researching, she finally found a question forum that mentioned the things she had seen.

"...veins under the eyes…." she began to read. "protruding fangs…..inhuman speed….mind control."

_So this was how he managed to get her to leave her post and follow him outside. _Charlotte thought. She scrolled down the page and continued reading.

"Weapons against vampires: a stake through the heart will kill, vervain for protection."

_Vervein? _She had never heard of that plant before.

Opening another tab, Charlotte ran a search for the plant. It seemed pretty basic to her, how could this plant protect her against vampires? She began to doubt the validity of her source. However after what she had seen last night, she decided that anything was possible.

Leaving doubt behind, Charlotte searched up the address of the nearest flower shop and found one a couple blocks away from her apartment. After eating a quick breakfast, she began to get dressed  
_

A small bell rang as Charlotte opened up the door to the shop. The sweet smell of flowers greeted her as she stepped across the threshold. As she walked in, Charlotte admired all the different flowers laid out for display, quietly searching for a group that matched the picture on her computer.

"Hello, how can I help you?" a voice greeted her from across the shop and Charlotte looked up to see a middle aged woman approaching.

"Pretty lady like you should have a man in here buying flowers for you." the woman smiled. "What can I help you with."

"Um, yeah" Charlotte began reaching into her purse for the small slip of paper on which she wrote down the name of the flower. "I'm looking for a type of plant that may be more rare."

"We have all kinds of plants here, not just flowers. Do you remember the name of this plant?" She asked very friendly.

"Ah, yes." Charlotte replied finding the paper. "I believe it's called vervain." As she finished her sentence Charlotte felt the lady beside her stiffen.

"And what would a young lady like you want with a plant like that?" The shopkeeper with a smile that Charlotte could now tell didn't reach her eyes.

"It's a long story" she replied tersely.

"I don't believe we carry that plant here." The shopkeeper replied.

"But you just said -" she was cut off.

"I said we had a bunch of plants, not every plant, dear"

"Look, you and I both know that's not true. I saw the way you looked at me when I walked into the shop. I didn't realize it then but I do now, you were looking to see if I was able to get in. And now you clam up at the mention of vervein. I think we both know what it's used for, and I need it. So please, help me."

The shopkeeper contemplated her proposal before motioning to a backroom. "Follow me" she sighed and led Charlotte into the back room. Tons of less decorative plants lined the walls of the storeroom, Charlotte didn't recognize any of them but a few she could tell were not common.  
"Over here" the shopkeeper motioned to a box in the back corner. When she opened it, Charlotte could see that it was filled with multiple stems of the plant.

"Will this be enough?" the shopkeeper asked grabbing a handful of stems from the box and placing them in a small ziplock bag before handing them to Charlotte.  
"Yes this will be fine, thank you." she began to turn to leave when the woman suddenly grabbed her arm.  
"Listen, do not tell anyone about this. Don't tell anyone you have this, or where you got it. Okay?"

Charlotte nodded eyes wide and the woman released her hand.

"Go ahead and go" the woman gestured to the door. "And a word of advice: vervain goes great with any beverage."

Charlotte returned to her apartment her mind a mess of thoughts. The entire way home she had contemplated what she had just seen and heard. Not only had this woman confirmed that vampires existed but also that vervain worked. She spent no time on hesitation and immediately went to go make a cup of tea. Minutes later, sitting at her small apartment table with the hot mug of tea in her hands Charlotte broke off a couple of the stems and leaves of her plant and placed them in her mug. Taking a deep breath she slowly began to take small sips. A couple hours later she sat on her bed, looking at her computer, with an empty mug on her nightstand. By now it was quite late and the sun had already set. Since it was a Saturday, she didn't have to go to work tonight and could relax. She sat, researching, doing her best to distinguish between fact and fiction of the numerous stories found on the internet.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. A loud purposeful banging. Charlotte lived alone, and she had very few living relatives, much less relatives she talked to. Her friends were limited to her coworkers, and they had never once visited her apartment. For the most part she kept to herself. Therefore this knocking was not only strange but completely unheard of. Slowly she neared the door as once again the impatient individual announced their arrival. Unfortunately, her door was not one that had a peephole, it had not seemed an issue before. Now she desperately wished she had one. Slowly she clicked each of her locks out of place and turned the handle to open the door. She was met with a set of piercing blue eyes looking down a her.

"You are going to forget everything you saw and heard last night" Damon compelled her as he stepped across the threshold.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Damon stepped across the threshold into the tiny apartment easily. Following his decision to completely forget about his encounter with the strange bartender, Damon realized that he had said too much and spoken too easily. She was never supposed to know about vampires and, at this moment, Damon could not remember what had compelled him to tell her in the first place. As he stated then, Charlotte was a loose end; he could not allow this to continue. After all, humans did silly and stupid things when they discovered their world was not as it seemed. Charlotte had walked around with the knowledge of vampires all day and Damon could not forget the curiosity she showed when she first discovered their existence. What had she learned since then? What had she seen?

It took a surprising amount of time for Damon to track down her exact apartment. As far as he could see, there weren't many contacts Damon could compel to help point him in the right direction. In fact, it appeared as if Charlotte hardly talked to anyone at all. No one seemed to know her. Damon pushed away the dark thought that because she wasn't well known she could disappear and none would be the wiser. _No, _Damon thought. _I'm not that person anymore._ For a while, when Damon had turned off his humanity, such thoughts would come easily to him and he would see no problem with carrying them out. No remorse. No guilt. Just action, and the power of being in control of whether a person lived or died. He spent years like that, until the flood of emotions came back in. As good as leaving humanity behind felt, having it return was much worse. Therefore Damon was attempting to turn over a new leaf, so to speak, he had one goal: free Katherine. He would avoid distractions at all costs.

When Damon finally discovered where Charlotte's apartment was located, it wasn't long until he discovered that the apartment was not in her name. In fact, it belonged to a very plump, mildly bald, easily compellable landlord. Once that task was done, all he had to do was walk up the stairs and compel the last problem in the list of problems he had made for himself the other night. The quicker he finished his task, the better. Without another moment of hesitation Damon vamped up the stairs to the apartment door and knocked purposefully, if not a bit forcefully, on the wood of the door. He listened carefully to the shuffling on the other side came closer until eventually the door was opened and he looked down into the face of the girl he had met last night.

"You are going to forget everything you saw and heard last night" Damon compelled her looking into her eyes and stepping into the room.

"Wait, what are you doing here? How did you find m-"

"You are going to forget everything you saw and heard last night" Damon compelled her again.

"No, you don't get to come back here after leaving me standing alone and tell me to forget!"

Damon stared at her with wide eyes before grabbing her shoulders and looking deep into her eyes and repeating, for a third time.

"You are going to forge-."

He didn't get the chance to finish his sentence because he was too busy being punched in the face.

Damon stepped back and stood shocked while holding his jaw until the pain receded.

"Why can't I compel you?" he muttered more to himself than to Charlotte. Suddenly something occurred to him and he scanned the room until his eyes rested upon the small cup on Charlotte's bedside table. Silently, he walked over to it, picked it up, and smelled it's contents.

"Vervein" he muttered again to himself. "Where did you get this!?" he demanded to Charlotte who was standing by the door with her arms crossed staring Damon down.

"Well they have a very nice selection at the store down the street." Charlotte replied with a very nice poker face.

"Not the cup!" Damon exclaimed. "The vervein."

"I don't know what you're talking about" Charlotte avoided.

"Don't play games, I don't remember telling you about this." Damon told her.

"You didn't," she retorted crossing her arms. "I decided to take matters into my own hands."

Damon ran a hand through his hair as he tried to think of what to do next. This was not part of the plan. She was not supposed to remember. As usual, Damon had trusted too much and ended up screwing things up. He sighed, he would have to wait until the vervain was out of her system which would take about a day.

"Listen, I thought we already agreed." Charlotte began. "You don't have to make me forget, I won't tell anyone."

"Look, it's not only a matter of telling anyone. Knowing this stuff, it gets people hurt in situations they shouldn't be in."

"Well you didn't strike me as someone too concerned for my safety" Charlotte retorted.

"I'm not," Damon replied tersely. "In fact, I couldn't care less and don't you dare punch a vampire again or you'll regret it."

"Are you threatening me?" she exclaimed.

"I'd like you to leave. Now."

"Fine," Damon replied. After all there was nothing he could do at the moment. He would come back tomorrow and make sure the deed was done. This girl meant nothing to him and he would solve the problem he had created my any means necessary. Walking out the door he slammed it shut behind him frustrated beyond belief by how difficult and complicated this girl had made the process. He didn't care, Damon told himself. The task had to be done. There was still so much about his world that Charlotte hadn't found out yet and that knowledge, especially in this city, could be used against him. Somehow Damon could tell, that this wouldn't end well for either of them.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Charlotte woke up the next morning a bit annoyed. Another night ruined by the stranger that she had recently met. Who did he think he was? He couldn't just toss her around like a doll that he could manipulate and compel at will. She had had too many bad experiences with those kinds of people. Those that would say and do anything to get their way. Damon was no different. If any good came of the experience it was this: 1) she now knew vampires could compel people and 2) vervain worked against compulsion. Charlotte wrote a mental note to herself to stop by and thank the lady that had given and advised her on the vervein. Otherwise she would have probably spent all night trying to figure out what to do with it.

As for today, Charlotte had a few errands to run. She couldn't spend time worrying about what had happened, life didn't stop for anyone or anything. She sighed as she sat down at her table and stared at the pile of mail she had accumulated over the past couple days, most of them were bills. Charlotte had never relied on anyone to keep her up, it wasn't easy at times. In fact, sometimes she had to cut down on a few luxuries in order to keep herself afloat but she had always managed, she knew better than to put her fate in anyone else's hands. They had always let her down.

Sure, many people had advised her to find a nice guy to settle down with, start a life, but that was easier said than done. Most of the guys Charlotte had invited into her life were just useless, manipulative d-bags who wanted to try to use her or control her. They never truly understood her. In the end, after many many arguments, she decided: it wasn't worth it. This thing called 'love' that people so desperately craved, was a myth. Something made up so that people could have hope. A beautiful fantasy. Well, Charlotte was a realist, and here was the reality. The heap of bills in front of her and errands to run _that_ was reality. She had accepted it long ago. Charlotte sighed as she finished her breakfast and got up to go get dressed. Just in case, she made another cup of vervain tea and drank it before she left the safety of the apartment.

About a half hour later, Charlotte stood in front of the post office with a couple of envelopes in her hand. Most of her bills she could pay online, but a few required them to be mailed. This happened almost every Sunday and her presence at the post office was well known. She had even made a couple acquaintances with those mailing packages. However, today felt _different_ somehow. Almost as if there was some other presence in the air. Looking around she saw no one out of the ordinary but couldn't shake the feeling that something was different. After looking around about ten times and discovering nothing she decided she had to be imagining it and continued on.

Next, was the library. Charlotte loved books; it was one of her most enjoyable passtimes. She walked over to the book return and dumped about 2-3 science novels into the open slot and began to walk away. Suddenly, an idea occurred to her. Turning around she walked through the doors of the library and went into a section that had never appealed to her before: Fantasy. As a teenager, Charlotte had tried a couple out and found their distraction from reality to be quite interesting. All the dystopias and ideas of a better or contrastingly different world filled her with zeal. The adventures that characters went on were thrilling, however there was almost always a romantic couple. Not that this was a bad thing, Charlotte had simply discovered that it filled her with unreal expectations. For every single relationship she had been in, Charlotte hoped to find something nearly as passionate or romantic as the relationships written in the novels. But now she realized them for what they were, just as much fantasy as the novels they were written in. Since then, she had stayed away from that section altogether. It was unrealistic.

However, she had seen something that she believed to be fantasy, something that was impossible, unrealistic. If vampires were real she needed to find out what else was. On one of the shelves she found a rather thick book on mythical lore and checked it out. Quickly she hid it in her bag before moving on to her next stop. Once again, as she was walking to her car she felt a strange presence and quickly spun around expecting to see someone there, but the rest of the parking lot was empty. A bit hastily, she unlocked her car not feeling entirely safe, started the engine and drove away.

For the rest of the day, Charlotte drove around to various locations to do what she needed to do. She checked up on her friend who had been sick from work who told her about her stomach bug she had had and that she would be well enough to work tomorrow. She got some lunch around 2 at a cafe, drove around a bit more then finally decided it was time to go home. On her way she recognized the flower shop at which the woman had given her the vervain and realized that she needed to thank her.

She parked on the street curb and walked into the shop, recognizing the distinct aroma of flowers as she stepped over the threshold. Looking around, she searched for the lady she had met the other day. Behind the counter stood a much younger woman who was just selling a bouquet of roses to a man. Once he was done Charlotte stepped in line and approached the worker.

"I'm looking for one of your employees, she was here the other day." Charlotte told her.

"Do you know her name?" the worker asked.

"Um, no but she was an older lady, probably in her forties." Charlotte described the best she could, there weren't many distinguishing features on the lady that she could remember.

"That doesn't sound like anyone who works here." the worker replied.

"Maybe she was your manager?" Charlotte questioned.

"Nope, my dad runs the place,hun, and most of our workers are college kids. Must have been another shop"

"Thank you." Charlotte replied out of politeness and walked away. She wasn't mistaken. This was the exact shop she had entered not a day earlier. How could the worker not remember the woman, and, more importantly, what had happened to her? She walked outside even more confused. Suddenly she heard a slight noise coming from an alleyway behind the flower shop. Cautiously, she made her way towards it. As she approached, she heard another noise, this time it was a groan. She turned the corner to see what it was and stood shocked at the scene before her.

Lying on the ground, groaning in pain was Damon. Standing above him, was some man she didn't recognize. He was dressed from head to toe in a fancy suit, tailored to perfection. As soon as the men saw her they froze. In the moment of complete silence, Charlotte contemplated what to do. Should she turn and leave while she still could? Yet she couldn't ignore what she'd seen. Damon hadn't exactly made a good impression on her but something inside her wouldn't let her leave him. Her heart beat heavily in her chest as she stood her ground. She was pretty sure, Damon, and the other guy who must have been a vampire too, could hear it. Suddenly, any choice she had of leaving flew out the window.

"Ah, look at what we have here." said the man in the suit. "Come here" Charlotte could tell he was compelling her, but she had drunk some vervain earlier today and it had no effect. If she left now she would give herself up and was fairly sure she wouldn't make it far. So, Charlotte did the only thing she could do. She walked forward.

She walked until she stood right in front of the man in the suit, her heart racing. Damon, who also knew she was still on vervain from last night stared at her with wide eyes, probably wondering as to what she was doing.

"Oh, you two know each other. How sweet." the man mocked noticing the way Damon looked at her. "At least now I have leverage to get what I want" He then turned Charlotte around until she was facing Damon and he was behind her. Brushed away her hair so all of it hung over her right shoulder, he nonchalantly traced a finger down her neck.

"She looks quite delicious," he tempted Damon. "Tell me what I want to know"

"Go ahead," Damon coughed quite beaten up already and there were a few trails of dried blood on his face. "She means nothing to me." straining a bit, he managed to stand up and look the man in the eye. Charlotte began to doubt her decision not to leave while she could.

"Then you won't mind if I have a taste." Before Damon or anyone could even move Charlotte felt a prick in her neck as the man sunk his teeth into her artery and began to drink. There was nothing she could do, she was completely frozen. How she'd imagined a vampire bite to be like in stories was nothing like this. She was completely helpless, and she hated it. Damon stood there with his eyes wide for a couple seconds before making a decision. It happened so fast that Charlotte could barely comprehend what was going on, all she knew was that she was losing strength quickly. Suddenly, the teeth in her neck disappeared as the man was dragged off her and pinned against the wall. Unable to stop herself, Charlotte slumped to the ground as her head spun a little. She managed to register the picture of Damon and the vampire rolling around and fighting each other. The man in the suit seemed to be a bit stronger. Eventually, the situations were reversed and the man had Damon pinned down by his neck.

"This could have been a whole lot easier if you just cooperated." he told him as Damon choked under his grip. Carefully, Charlotte managed to stand herself up and put one hand on her bleeding neck. Not entirely sure what she was doing Charlotte approached the two wrestling vampires. The one in the suit had his back to her. Either he didn't register her as a threat, or he was more focused on Damon because he made no move as she approached. With one hand on her neck she casually tapped him on the shoulder. As he turned to face her, she put all the strength she had left into punching him straight in the face. Surprised, stunned, or both, he fell back a little and his grip on Damon's throat loosened. Seeing an opportunity, Damon quickly got up and snapped the man's neck as he crumpled to a heap on the floor. Then he turned to stare at Charlotte wide eyed at what she had just done his face smiling. Charlotte was smiling too but for some reason his face was no longer clear. In fact, there was now black at the edges of her vision and it was steadily growing. The next thing, she knew Damon was vamping over to catch her before she fell and everything went dark.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

...

_What could she possibly be doing here? Was she insane? I thought I told her to stay away! _Damon thought all these thoughts as Charlotte crumpled to the ground in a heap. He vamped towards her just in time to catch her before her head hit the pavement. Her arm fell away from the wound on her neck and the blood continued to flow. Holding her with one arm, Damon bit into his wrist until his own blood flowed and put it to Charlotte's mouth to drink. _You are _not _dying on me! _Damon thought as he urged for her to drink the blood. Though she was unconscious, some of the blood must have flowed into her because the wound steadily began to close. They couldn't stay here much longer, Damon was not sure how long the man in the suit would stay down and there was no doubt that more of his friends couldn't be far off. Carefully he picked up Charlotte, bridal style, and made his way to the place he knew that they would be protected for now.

...

When Charlotte woke up she found herself surrounded by familiar walls and furniture. As her fingers grasped at the sheets surrounding her she realized she was back in her apartment, lying on her bed. She put a hand to her head as her eyes adjusted and she slowly came out of her induced sleep. Charlotte shut her eyes tight. When she opened them again she was staring into deep blue eyes.

Damon was sitting on her bed beside her waiting for her to wake up. Carefully, Charlotte sat up. He must have brought her back after she passed out. She groaned.

"You ok?" Damon asked looking at her with concern.

"Yeah," Charlotte replied smiling before feeling a pain in her hand when she moved it.

"Ow," she muttered staring at her knuckles, there were no bruises but she could still feel the force of the punch on her fingers.

"Yeah, remember when I told you never to punch a vampire again or you'd regret it. I take it back" Damon chuckled.

"How about you?" Charlotte asked staring at his face, there wasn't a scratch on it.

"There are perks to vampire healing." Damon commented with a slight smile.

"Right," Charlotte began. "Wait, my neck." there was no pain so Charlotte hadn't noticed it but there was no forgetting the feeling of teeth sinking into her skin.

"It's completely healed!" she exclaimed rubbing her fingers over the soft skin that now only bore traces of dried blood.

"How?"

"I fed you my blood." Damon told her.

"You, what?" this was strange to her and the idea of drinking someone else's blood made her squeamish.

"To heal you, vampire blood has healing capabilities." he informed her.

"Oh," Charlotte replied one hand still on her neck before a not so subtle rumbling noise came from her stomach. "I'm starving" she commented more to herself than to Damon.

"Thought you might be." Damon told her and got up from her bed and walked over to her tiny kitchen. Then, Charlotte realized that her tiny apartment was filled with the smell of food which only made the rumbling in her stomach worse. Soon Damon returned with an entire plate of it. Charlotte could barely contain herself.

"Losing that much blood would make anyone hungry, trust me I know." he commented flashing her a half-smile and handing her the plate. Charlotte's eyes widened as she stared at the food.

"Tha-thank you." she stuttered. She was not used to people doing things for her.

"I guess I owe you, and I don't like owing people." Damon replied nonchalantly. Charlotte didn't wait a moment longer as her hunger overtook her and she dug into her plate of food.

"Yeah, I didn't have much options with your limited groceries." he told her as she engulfed the food. When she had a free moment Charlotte nodded and then froze pausing before swallowing. There was a distinct silence before Charlotte finally asked the question that was hanging in the air.

"Damon?"

"Mmmmm?"

"Who was that guy?" The silence ensued for a while before Damon finally spoke.

"A member of the Paragon's" Charlotte's brows furrowed into a questioning gaze. Damon sighed realizing he would have to explain further.

"A secret society of vampires."  
"But, you're a vampire" she commented.

"Very _old _vampires." Damon elaborated. "They've been involved with every major power struggle in history since the beginning. Kings, rulers, warriors, all very old and _very_ powerful"

"What did they want with you?" Charlotte asked.

"All you need to know is that I took something from them, now they want it back."

"What did you take-"  
"I said that's all you need to know!" Damon snapped not liking where this was going, he should have been gone by now. A moment of silence ensued.

"Look, they're my problem not yours, so you don't need to be pulling any more stunts like that because I don't need your help." Damon snapped, Charlotte was appalled.

"You don't seem very grateful, I saved your life!" she exclaimed.

"And nearly killed yourself."

"But I didn't"

"Yeah, because of me! You don't know anything about this world so why don't you just stay out of it!"

"Fine!" Charlotte exclaimed, "Then just get out of my life and stop showing up everywhere!"  
"Fine! You stupidly risked your life to help me now I made sure you were ok. We are done, even."

"Fine!"

"If you know what's good for you you'll go back to your bartender job, work really hard, maybe meet a guy in a few years grow old and forget this ever happened. This entire thing was a mistake." With that last word Damon got up and walked out of her apartment, slamming the door behind him leaving Charlotte sitting alone in silence.


	8. Chapter 8

***A/N* Sorry I haven't updated guys my computer was having issues. I also wasn't too sure where I was going with this, kinda just making things up as I go :P If anyone has any ideas i'm open to suggestions xD. I'm not sure how many times I'll be able to update after this since school is starting for me but i'll do my best. Don't forget to review! :D *A/N***

Chapter 8

Damon stood on a balcony overlooking the river below him. It ran straight alongside the city and was filled with the bright glowing and reflective lights of the skyscrapers around him. The light chatter of nightly festivities reached his sensitive ears. If he wanted, he could probably listen in on the individual conversations below, but quite honestly, he didn't care. Absentmindedly he took a swing of the bottle of bourbon he had stolen from a bar below. At first the alcohol had burned his throat as it went down, but now all he felt was numb. Everything was numb. It wasn't as effective as turning off his humanity switch, but the alcohol helped him control the heightened emotions that came with being a vampire. Right now, he wasn't completely sure what he was feeling. Everything was just so complicated.

Carefully he reached into his pocket and drew out a small round object. The moon's rays illuminated the white milky, almost translucent, surface of the small stone in his hand. _So much trouble for such a small object_ Damon thought as he stared at the small stone. For a moment, a vision of Katherine formed in the back of his mind. _It was worth it _Damon thought as he remembered her soft, beautiful face. The curve of her lips and her beautiful long hair. Though he had last seen her over a hundred years ago he could still remember her face just as clearly as if he had seen her yesterday. Without any warning, his mind took him to a different, more recent, place and Katherine's face morphed into a different, just as soft and beautiful face. Damon began to recall the previous day's events as his mind envisioned the feisty bartender.

Damon's brows furrowed into a look of confusion. Why was he thinking about her? More importantly, why had she risked her life to save him, especially after she knew what he was? It didn't make sense. Also, why couldn't he just let the man kill her? Damon normally had little care about human lives. It would have made his life easier if she was gone, it would have solved his problem. So why did he save her? Everything about this human confused and intrigued him. When he was around her, part of him wanted to open up and tell her everything but then another part, the rational one, reminded him that he was a vampire and she was nothing and everything he was doing right now was to get Katherine and this human was just a means to an end.

Damon stared at the stone in his hand a moment longer before returning to reality. He stood there for a minute more looking at its white and milky surface until a gruff voice interrupted him from his thoughts.

"I believe that belongs to us," came a voice behind him. Damon turned around with a sly smile not at all surprised and pocketed the precious rock.

"Technically, I stole it so now it belongs to me." Damon joked facing the two muscular men in suits.

"Give us what is ours" they replied in unison.

"Have you guys ever heard that saying. How does it go again?" Damon paused his face contorted into a mock look of thoughtfulness "Finders….keepers" as he said the last word Damon jumped over the railing, off the balcony and landed gracefully in the street about 4-5 stories below.

Charlotte stood at her post in the bar, filling up glasses, wiping off tables and occasionally making small talk with the customers. Some had sob stories others were just having a good time. Regardless of their predicament, she would listen and fill up their glass. It was surprising how much she knew about the people who came into her bar Charlotte thought. For instance, the man at the other end of the bar hunched over his shot glass had just fought with his girlfriend after he was found cheating and she kicked him out. He came in about once a month. A slightly older man over in the far corner had just lost his job after his boss caught him stealing funds. He was in periodically. Then there was the old man, probably in his late 50's, who was here almost every night, he was a known drunk, but he had a different story every time. The more Charlotte quietly and calmly filled up their glasses the more they divulged, and if anything Charlotte had learned this: people aren't naturally bad, something makes them so. As much as she listened, all Charlotte heard was how these men had screwed up, took a wrong turn, made the wrong decision and how they wished they could make everything right. Some blamed their family for their predicament, others their situation, some even blamed religion but in the end the decision was theirs, Charlotte was determined not to make the same choices. Yet she couldn't help but sympathize with them somehow. A long time ago these people probably had dreams and wants and aspirations, how easy it was for things to get complicated. She sighed, _what was Damon's story?_ As she poured another glass she realized that she would probably never know. It wasn't as busy tonight, her coworker had finally gotten over her cold and was helping her at the other end of the bar. Other people were in the bar too, drinking and having a good time with their friends. Things were going pretty well...so why did she feel like something was missing. The routine was all too common for Charlotte, she needed something….more.

As much as she tried to avoid it, eventually Charlotte's mind wandered to the other night. Damon had seemed so relaxed in his joking manner before he clammed up again. As much as she would like to deny it, he intrigued her and he had since the moment they had met. The way he spoke, Charlotte could tell there was more to him than he was letting on. She began to recall the man in the suit, the vampire, and the fear and adrenaline pumping through her veins as she walked to him. She remembered how helpless she felt and made a point not to ever feel that way again. Regardless of if Damon wanted to see her or not she couldn't forget this world that had been unveiled to her, and she had to learn how to live in it.

As Charlotte poured another drink the two men in suits who had been sitting at the far table went unnoticed until they walked right up to her.

"What can I get you-" Charlotte began until she looked up and recognized one of the men from the other night her eyes widened.

"Well hello darling, if I wasn't a vampire I would have a nice little bruise because of you." he smirked remembering their encounter the other night. "I intend to return the favor" quickly he grabbed her wrist and Charlotte screamed in surprise. As she looked around she noticed that no one even moved a muscle as if she wasn't being assaulted.

"Don't worry about them," the other man in the suit grinned. "They've been compelled." He grabbed a needle from inside his jacket and stabbed Charlotte's arm releasing its contents into her bloodstream.

"Not as effective as snapping someone's neck but you're no use to us dead." The next thing Charlotte knew, everything went dark and her eyes rolled back into her head as she collapsed on the ground.

The minute his feet touched the ground Damon began quickly walking in the direction of the crowd, eventually blending into the sea of partying people. He could feel them following behind him but wasn't really bothered. He calmly shoved his way between people until eventually he was out of the crowd and walking down the starkly lit streets in front of him. It was less crowded here, almost no one was to be seen. Suddenly, two more figures appeared in front of him blocking his way forward. Looking behind him, sure enough the previous two were still behind him.

"Look, I'm flattered that you sent four henchmen but this really isn't necessary. You can have your precious moonstone as soon as I'm done."

"Your wishes are of no concern to me, now return what is mine." a fifth voice came out of the darkness and a man in another suit came out but he was slightly different from the rest. He seemed older and crueler. As soon as he spoke that last word all for henchmen rushed Damon all at once. After a couple minutes of fighting, Damon stepped back bruised and bloodied but a crazy grin was still plastered on his face. Slowly he backed into an alley and stood there staring at the henchmen. Once again they tried running at him but found themselves blocked by an invisible barrier.

"Hmm, maybe you shouldn't have pissed off the witches." Damon tisked.

"And maybe, Damon, you should keep better track of your human playthings." the man said as another two henchmen brought out an unconscious Charlotte, and the smug look on Damon's face fell.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The moment Damon saw Charlotte's unconscious face he froze. He had had everything perfectly planned out: a couple days ago he had made an alliance with the witches to make sure he could stand up to the Paragon's, at least until he did what he needed to do, he had resolved all other issues, he had made sure Charlotte returned to her regular life, or so he thought. The one thing he had not anticipated was them recognizing Charlotte as an effective bargaining chip. _How could they believe that she meant anything to him?_ Damon thought to himself before wondering, _did she mean anything? _He had saved her last time, but that was because he felt indebted to her, right? It was her own fault for getting involved in the first place. Right now he had all he needed, he was untouchable and he had the stone, he could leave right now and use the last final piece of the puzzle to open the tomb and release Katherine from her prison, the only barrier between the two of them being together. This human meant nothing to him, right? He could leave now and forget all of this ever happened. So why was he hesitating? Why hadn't he done it already why was he standing here contemplating this while looking at her helpless face. Wasn't he just making everything more difficult for himself?

For over a hundred years he had waited for Katherine, for this exact moment when he could release her and be together. He had been with a couple women here and there, sure, but they meant nothing to him. They were just good company, to distract him from the long stretch of time. He would have not hesitated to leave any of one of them because no one, not one, ever meant anything to him. Damon thought back to the first time he had met Charlotte, how she had surprised him and intrigued him nearly as much as he intrigued her. Whether she was brave or foolish, she never saw him as a monster. Not because she wanted something or because she pitied him, she genuinely thought that there was someone worth knowing in him even after everything she had seen. No one, not even his brother, had ever felt that way about him. However, Damon couldn't shake the image of Katherine from the back of his mind and the life they had.

"You have a choice" came the voice of the man who appeared to be in charge. "Give us the moonstone, or we kill your little human friend."

Damon stood frozen, safely behind the barrier contemplating his options. A soft mumble came from the direction of the henchman holding Charlotte and Damon realize that she was waking up. Slowly her eyes opened and she looked around her momentarily disoriented before realizing the situation she was in. Damon watched as she began to struggle, thrashing around in an attempt to break free from the henchman's strong grip. But he was a vampire and she was a human, she had no chance. He held her tightly and eventually put his hands in a position so he could hold her and snap her neck at the same time. When Charlotte realized what he was doing she froze too, eyes wide and looked at Damon.

"You have five seconds or she dies" the man told him.

"If you kill her you won't have any leverage" Damon reasoned.

"It's worth a try." The man replied with a malicious grin. "She means nothing to us." The henchmen's grip on her head tightened.

"Five seconds" the man reminded him.

"Five…" If possible Charlotte's eyes widened even further

"Four…" Damon stared into them and saw the fear

"Three…" Slowly he reached his hand into his jacket pocket and wrapped his fingers around the smooth surface of the stone.

"Two…" It was heavy in his palm that was now by his side.

"On-"

"Alright"

The man paused his countdown.

"You win" In one swift movement he tossed the stone, and all his hopes of freeing Katherine, goodbye. The head man caught it easily and his face broke out into a scary grin.

"Excellent" he muttered more to himself than to anyone else. "Release her, she has served her purpose"

The henchmen didn't react immediately, instead he held her for a moment longer and Damon could see as he sniffed the vein pumping against her neck. Her heartbeat was racing. Even from a couple meters away Damon could see the veins quickly appear under his eyes. For some reason Damon felt a strong need to protect Charlotte.

"Hey!" he exclaimed and pounded on the barrier but he could not pass back through. It was specifically made to keep out the supernatural. Noticing Damon's protest the henchman gave him a sly smile before he stopped himself, his face returned to normal and he released her, pushing Charlotte towards the barrier, towards Damon. As she went through the protective barrier Charlotte began to trip from the force of the push and Damon caught her before she met the floor. For a second, Damon stood embracing her and stared into her still wide bright eyes. Suddenly he realized the weight of what he had just done.

"Better be careful" the henchman finally spoke. "It would be a shame to lose such a special…" he paused. "Plaything." with that final word he turned and left after the rest of his group who took the moonstone, and Damon's last shot of saving Katherine, away. But for some reason, Damon didn't feel defeated. Then he realized that he was still holding onto Charlotte for a moment longer than needed and let her go. For the first time in his life, Damon felt awkward. It was only the two of them standing in the alley now.

"You, you ok?" Damon asked quickly flashing a sympathetic smile that only reached one corner of his mouth.

"Ok?" Charlotte asked, strangely calm. "What part of this is ok?"

"I'm sorry this happ-"  
"Why did you save me?" Charlotte cut him off to Damon's surprise. As he looked at her she didn't seem like a weak human who had just had her first serious encounter with vampires. She didn't seem afraid. Charlotte was shaken up of course but she didn't behave like the victim, instead she was someone who wanted answers. As she stood in front of Damon with her arms crossed he couldn't help but notice the quiet strength behind her stature almost as if what had just happened wasn't all that bad. Then there was her question, why _did _he save her? and Damon realized, he wasn't entirely sure. He decided to tell the truth.

"I, I don't know" Damon replied staring into her inquisitive eyes. "But I want to find out"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

***A/N* Yes I updated! Sorry for the long wait I had a lot of stuff going on and finally decided that this needed to be continued. Yay. I will try to continue to update as much as I can but it might not be as often as before. Either way, this is chapter 10, enjoy! *A/N***

As Damon and Charlotte walked the city streets and turned into empty alleyways to avoid bumping into anyone, Charlotte thought she recognized the path. It was difficult to know for sure since she had always taken the main streets, but after she saw the bright sign illuminating the location and they walked through the front door, there was no mistaking it: they were back at the bar, the place Charlotte had just been serving drinks an hour earlier.

"What are we doing here?" Charlotte asked him. They hadn't talked the entire way. Mostly because Damon was listing out for possible threats, but also because Charlotte didn't know what to say. The fact that Damon chose to save her, that he gave up the tiny rock he had stolen (it must have been important to him Charlotte assumed), shocked her. No one had ever chosen her above their own interests, no one. Just as she finished that thought Charlotte noticed her manager walking up to her and Damon, eying him warily with a displeased expression.

"Charlotte, where did you go? You left the bar untended."

"Well, I…." she had no excuse. She couldn't just tell him she was kidnapped by vampires, he wouldn't believe her. Why did Damon bring her here?

"I'm going to have to dock your pay for this" he told her almost apologetically. At that moment Damon placed a hand on his shoulder. Alarmed, Charlotte's manager looked like he was about to ask him to leave until Damon spoke.

"You're not going to dock her on anything." Damon told him with a calm voice.

"You're going to go and take her shift at the bar while we get some drinks, oh and she deserves a raise don't you think. She's been working here, how long?" Damon turned to Charlotte.

"2 years" Charlotte whispered her eyes wide at what was going on in front of her.

"2 years," Damon repeated. "I believe that calls for a raise. You will not remember any of this after tonight, it will be just like any other night. Charlotte came, she worked, she cleaned up, she left. Now go tend the bar"

Charlotte's manager walked away a bit confused and, to Charlotte's surprise, went behind the bar and started tending in her place.

"Why," Charlotte began.

"Because you've worked here long enough, it's time that you relax for a night." Damon smiled at her and walked up to the bar and waited for her to follow. Smiling to herself Charlotte walked up and sat down beside him. Damon was already ordering a Bourbon. Charlotte's manager gave no reaction when she sat down in front of him and ordered one for herself. This was all new to her and she wasn't completely sure how to react to it.

Moments later, her manager returned with a bottle of Bourbon and poured glasses for both Charlotte and Damon.

"So, I see vampirism has it's perks" Charlotte commented breaking the silence. Damon looked at her for a moment before replying.

"And it's downfalls" The silence continued.

"Is that what was happening that first night….when we met?" Charlotte asked not entirely expecting an answer.

"Yeah, well… kind of….. Nevermind, that doesn't matter. Why don't you explain how after everything you've seen, you're barely even fazed." Damon replied changing the subject. Charlotte was unprepared for the question but she couldn't deny that now that Charlotte really thought about it, she WASN'T fazed. In fact, this was the most exhilarating thing that ever happened to her. With everything that had been going on she barely even thought about how she was reacting to it. She just...well… reacted. By now it was almost instinctive, if there was anything she had learned in her life was that there wasn't time for emotions to cloud your judgement, that giving up wasn't an option, that things happened and you just had to get through it. No excuses, because the alternative was worse. So that was what she did, she got through it.

"I guess i'm just used to it" Charlotte finally replied and Damon's eyes widened a fraction.

"How could you possibly be used to this?" Damon asked in a jokeful tone with a small smile to lighten the mood.

"Well, I've had a lot of practice," Charlotte paused at Damon's questioning expression. "It...it's a long story."

As if noticing Charlotte's discomfort in the situation, Damon backed off.

"Ok…"

"Wh," Charlotte hesitated her lips freezing mid-word as she debated whether to really ask her question. "When you said you wanted to find out….what did you mean?"

Damon looked at her curiously "I've met a lot of humans and a lot of vampires," he began. "But I haven't really cared about any of them" He paused as if thinking about something. "But i've never met anyone like you" he concluded. Charlotte stared at him appalled. How could she be any different than any number of people that Damon met in his 100+ year lifespan. It seemed unlikely. To fill the silence Charlotte sipped at her Bourbon, her glass almost empty as she looked across at Damon and she realized that his was already gone and her manager was refilling it. She eyed his glass wearily, even though she was a bartender Charlotte still wasn't completely used to casual drinking. She had had too many bad experiences with alcohol to truly relax. When she turned to look back at Damon, Charlotte noticed that he was still watching her, gauging her reaction. Almost as if he sensed her hesitation he spoke up.

"Do you want to go somewhere else?" Charlotte nodded.

###

About thirty minutes later they stood at the edge of a lake with the night cool air blowing across their faces. The breeze felt cool and nice on Charlotte's face and she tilted her head back to take it all in. It had been forever since she had ever been able to relax and not have something she needed to do. It was always go to work, run errands, sleep and do it all over again. The moments of rest she did find were simply interims between the next worktime. Damon watched her quietly from a distance with a small smile on his face as she reveled in the freedom and Charlotte equally observed him from the corner of her eye. The way the moonlight cast a nice shadow across his features making every line more prominent. How the muscles in his arms, crossed along his chest, stood out firmly and, finally, how his eyes, his piercing blue eyes stared at her beneath long lashes. He was lost in thought, and completely oblivious to her casual glances. Standing there, illuminated by the moonlight, he was almost like an angel, a dark angel, her dark savior. It was hard to believe that they had met less than a week ago, with everything that had happened she felt like she had known him forever. Since the moment Charlotte found him lying in the middle of the road, she couldn't help but relate to the emptiness she saw in his eyes, how lost he felt. Somehow she sensed then that their demons were the same. They stood there for a while, not speaking while Charlotte casually picked up stones and attempted to skip them across the water while Damon continued to watch her from a distance with a thoughtful gaze until suddenly his calm expression was replaced with a frown.

"Charlotte…." he began slowly coming towards her. "You, you know you can't go back… right?" his words were careful, uncertain, sad and guilty all at the same time. He blamed himself, and Charlotte could see that. Everything that happened happened because she met him, that was true. Yet why wasn't she mad at him? Why didn't she hate the man standing in front of her for ruining her life?

Then Charlotte realized she already knew.

"You didn't ruin my life." she replied.

"What?" Damon asked appalled at her reply.

"You didn't ruin my life." Charlotte repeated. "I see the way you look at me, a part of you feels guilty that you brought all of this into my life, that you were what caused this to happen." She paused. "But it's not your fault"

"But it is, Charlotte everything that's happened is because you met me"

"I won't argue with that, but…. You don't get it….. You saved my life"

"I know but -" Charlotte cut him off again.

"I'm not talking about literally. My entire life i've done nothing but clean up other people's messes and work my butt off, and I probably would have continued doing the same thing for the rest of my life if you hadn't walked into that bar. You once told me that if I knew what was good for me I would find some guy to settle down with and be normal. But the thing is, i'm NOT normal. I've been through dozens of guys, trust me I thought I'd seen them alI, and every one was just the same. No one understood ME. I was trapped in a life that I hated. So you can say that you ruined my life, that I would be better off but the truth is, you SAVED me."

Damon's eyes widened more and more as he listened to Charlotte talk. Both their hearts were racing as they looked at each other, until eventually Damon closed the space between them. His lips reached Charlotte's fast and warm. Charlotte felt like something had exploded in her and she hadn't realized how much she had wanted to do this before now. This was nothing like any other kisses she had had, those were slow, calculated, sometimes needy on the behalf of the guy she was with. This was different, this was uncontrollable, almost as if they had both let go of something they had been holding onto all their lives. When Damon finally broke away, she couldn't help but feel like something had been taken from her but when she looked up into his wide blue eyes, full of concern and something else she couldn't quite describe, she felt the trade was almost worthwhile. Finally, Charlotte decided to break the silence between them.

"What now?" she asked.

"You're not safe here, we need to leave." Damon replied.

"Where are we going?" Damon paused thinking carefully until finally he replied with just two words.

"Mystic Falls"


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Damon sat in the driver's seat of his signature baby blue car driving down the road towards Mystic Falls. They had been driving for most of the night and by now it was early morning. Beside him in the passenger seat, Charlotte laid passed out with her head resting on the glass of the window, her breath periodically casting a cloud of condensation on the cold glass. She had fallen asleep long before they had even left the city. As much as she had been trying to hide it, she was exhausted. They laid together for a while by the lake but it didn't take long for her to fall asleep on Damon's chest. Although he wanted more than anything to just stay in that moment, Damon couldn't help but notice that they had overstayed their welcome. He carried Charlotte to the car and drove away a couple hours past midnight. If they were found, neither of them were in any shape to run or fight.

The entire night replayed itself a hundred times in Damon's mind as he drove towards Virginia. Damon could barely believe how peaceful she looked as he listened to her deep breathing. Was this how she would have looked if he hadn't walked into her life, if he hadn't brought all this trouble? Even after their argument and Charlotte told him that he saved her, Damon still couldn't believe those words could come out of anyone's mouth. At least they were never about HIM. Damon didn't save people, he didn't care. _Yet you saved HER, _a voice in his head spoke. How could anyone believe that he was anything more than a monster? He ruined people's lives he didn't save them. Yet when Damon heard those words come out of her mouth all he wanted to do was kiss her, and there was nothing stopping him. What it was like to KISS her. Out of all the girls he'd been with, none of them had ever kissed like that. Or maybe it was Charlotte, her bravery, her eyes, her lips. Or maybe it was the fire she had and what it ignited in him. For a moment his mind reminded him of Katherine, and the fire she ignited in him too. But this was different somehow, Damon couldn't quite understand why. It was perfect, almost too perfect, and for some reason Damon couldn't quell the feeling that he would ruin it.

A small groan escaped Charlotte's lips beside him distracting Damon from his thoughts. She slowly began to open her eyes and he could see the confusion in them as she looked at her surroundings.

"Where-"

"Mystic Falls" Damon replied.

"Oh," Charlotte sat up rubbing her eyes a bit "Yeah, you said that earlier. How long have we been driving?"

"About, 4 hours" Damon replied with a slight smile as he met her brown eyes, somehow they seemed a bit more open as if a part of the wall that she kept up around herself had been taken down.

"Wait," she paused her brown eyes filling with realization "Damon but what about my things? My clothes?"

"It was too risky," Damon told her apologetically. "We needed to leave as soon as possible, we can get anything you need there."

"But-"

"I'm sorry" Damon told her and he was truely was.

Now that they were actually this close to his hometown, Damon realized that he wasn't completely sure what he was going to do. He didn't really have a plan. Well, the plan was to eventually going to return here, yes, but that was for Katherine. Now...everything was all messed up. He wasn't sure what he felt anymore. More importantly, what was he going to say to Stefan? The last time he had seen his brother, Damon had turned off his humanity. As much as he tried to pretend he hadn't, Damon didn't truly feel anything in that time period where he returned looking for forgiveness and a fresh start. He had promised his brother an eternity of misery, and Damon was hoping to show him a betrayal almost as big as the one Stefan had made when he sold out Katherine all those years ago. Damon didn't feel anything then. When he returned, he didn't feel anything as he killed all those people. As he drank his fill and more before finally killing them, he didn't feel anything. When his humanity finally began to return, steadily, slowly, he didn't feel anything either. Everything he did, he pushed it aside, forgot about it. He had killed people before, right? It was nothing new. Unlike most other vampires, Damon's humanity didn't return instantly, he didn't feel the rush of emotions that overwhelmed him all at once. It was almost like a river steadily flowing downstream, one feeling returned, then another. At times, he still wasn't sure that he truly felt. Most days, he still just felt numb. _Until last night._ Damon thought. Last night was the first time Damon had ever felt anything strongly. He wasn't even sure WHAT he felt. But for a moment, however brief, he felt less numb. Part of him couldn't help but yearn for a moment like that again. In that moment, he felt alive.

"So," Charlotte broke the silence. "What's so special about Mystic Falls?"

"It's my hometown" Charlotte's eyebrows traveled up slightly.

"Your hometown?"

"Yeah, and the place I was turned a vampire." If possible Charlotte's eyebrows shot up even more. It was one of the things Damon liked about her. Her curiosity, how she looked at things around her. She didn't just see them, she seemed to see into them.

"How…. what happened." She finally asked.

"It's a long story." Damon explained deciding what to tell her. "My brother and I fell in love with a girl, we died trying to save her life."

"What happened then?" Charlotte's questions began to make Damon a bit uncomfortable, for some reason. It didn't feel right talking with her about Katherine, the way she was a vampire and how they both fell for her. How strongly Damon felt for her. Felt? Didn't he still feel? Damon wasn't sure about anything anymore. His mind was a mess of thoughts. As if noticing his reluctance, Charlotte changed the subject.

"Why are you going back?"

"Because in the spur of the moment, it was the first place that came to mind." Damon told her truthfully.

"And I believe it's time to say hello to my brother."

No matter how much she probed, Damon was not ready to give away all the details regarding his relationship with Stefan. How could he possibly recount all the gory details of the number of times he made Stefan's life hell, the number of times he'd killed. If Charlotte knew half of the things he'd done, she might finally see him as a monster. And after last night, after she ignited something in him, he wasn't quite ready to throw it all away. Sooner, rather than later as Damon was hoping, they past the sign that welcomed them to Mystic Falls. No matter how many years he had been gone, Damon could still always recognize familiar landmarks, the places where things used to be and the new things that were built on top of them. As much as he tried to deny it, this was his home, and always would be.

"Listen, there's something I need to do first, alone. Take this," Damon fished a credit card out of his pocket and handed it to Charlotte who stared at it with wide eyes. "There's a store over there," he gestured to a shopping center. "Get whatever you need, I'll come back for you in an hour." Damon promised.

"But," Charlotte began to protest, then saw the look in Damon's eye and decided against it. She took the credit card from his hand, their skin touching for a moment longer than necessary before opening the car door, stepping out into the warm Virginia sunlight while Damon quietly drove away. It didn't feel completely right leaving her there, but Damon knew that he needed to talk to Stefan alone. Another part of him, after everything that he had done to his brother, wasn't quite ready for Stefan to know about what had happened with Charlotte. For now, he decided, it was better if she was a secret.

###

Not fifteen minutes later, Damon drove his car and parked it nearby to the old Salvatore boarding house. It was probably one of the oldest buildings in the town yet it hardly looked any different than it had when he turned. As he began to walk up to the front door of the house, something stopped him. What if his brother had found a way to keep him from coming back, what if he was ready to stake him the moment he saw him for what he had done. They hadn't exactly parted on good terms. After all, his humanity had been off. To be safe, Damon decided not to use the front door, he did like to make a grand entrance. With that last thought Damon turned around and instead walked up to the side of the house. Using his vampire abilities, he jumped up onto one of the ledges and opened a window in an upper room. Slowly, he climbed in. The first thing he noticed were the voices. Damon could tell that someone was home because he could make out the subtle tones coming from downstairs. _Probably just Stefan and Zack talking about something boring._ Damon thought to himself. He continued walking until eventually he could make out individual words.

"Hello," a voice called out downstairs "Stefan, is anyone here?" Damon froze in his tracks, the voice was distinctly feminine and oddly familiar, but Damon couldn't quite remember where he'd heard it before. Slowly Damon continued to approach until he reached the top of the stairs and what he saw shocked him. Standing in the middle of _his_ living room, was Katherine Pierce.


	12. Chapter 12

***A/N* To clarify in case anyone is confused the previous chapters were pre-season 1 so everything below should be happening around when Damon appears in season 1 but with a little twist obviously :). Everyone who was human and/or alive at the beginning of season 1 is still human and/or alive. Happy reading :D *A/N***

Chapter 12

The minute he saw that long brown hair and dark brown eyes, Damon instantly remembered Katherine. Her beautiful face, her soft lips, all the memories came rushing back. Before he could stop himself, Damon vamped right into the living room, right behind her as she turned to look back at the door that just slammed as a reaction to his vamp speed. As she turned around to face him, surprise was evident on her face, and Damon's heart raced. His brows furrowed in confusion. Something was different. Her beautiful brown eyes looked up at him without recognition.

"I… I was looking for Stefan" she stuttered obviously shocked at his sudden appearance. Damon hid his surprise. As he listened closely, he recognized the steady pulse pumping through her veins which surprised him even more. She was human. She didn't recognize him. This didn't make any sense. Damon did the only thing he could think to do.

"I'm Damon, Stefan's brother" he replied with a small smile, watching her reaction carefully.

"I'm Elena" she introduced herself confirming his suspicions. "I didn't know Stefan had a brother"

The person standing in front of him was not Katherine Pierce. She had her face, her body, her eyes, but the person standing in front of him was not his long lost love. He had yearned to see her again, even for a minute, for so long, yet, standing in front of this carbon copy. He couldn't help but feel, disappointed. A sudden noise behind him attracted his attention and Damon turned around to see Stefan standing behind him, his surprise only visible in this furrowed eyebrows.

"Elena," he said coming over and putting himself between her and Damon. "I didn't know you were going to be over."

"I know, I should have called, i'm sorry." Elena told him apologetically, Damon studied her every movement.

"How about we go somewhere else" Stefan ushered her towards the door away from Damon all the while staring him down. The entire scene intrigued Damon and he smiled slyly as Stefan and Elena left waving goodbye to them as they closed the door.

###

Charlotte stood on the sidewalk next to a cluster of shopping centers after Damon roared away on his baby blue car. Her mind was racing not only from the events of last night but also as to what could be so important that Damon had to get rid of her for a few hours. Charlotte wasn't stupid, she knew what he was doing. In fact, it had happened before with a couple of other guys. As soon as they didn't want to bother with her, they left her somewhere only to call her up again when they were ready. Was she naive for believing that Damon was any different. He had that bad boy vibe going for sure but Charlotte had hoped that there was something more to him, that somewhere deep inside he was worth caring about, that he was different.

Whatever his excuse was, she wasn't going to get anywhere by standing beside the street. Charlotte looked at the credit card in her hand. It was highly unlikely that Damon actually worked for the money that was on this card. However, all she had now was the clothes she was wearing and it appeared that her options were limited. With a heavy sigh, Charlotte turned around and walked towards the nearest shopping center.

###

About an hour later, Charlotte stood in front of the dressing room mirror looking at the clothes she had tried on from various angles. She had to admit, this wasn't exactly her usual style. Charlotte had never been able to afford many things that were 'in-style' before and contented herself with basic clothing choices. However, she couldn't help but admit that the jeans she was wearing now did fit quite nicely.

After organizing her clothes into two separate groups on the store hooks that read "Definitely" and "Not today", Charlotte walked out of the dressing room back in her original attire and headed to the front of the dressing room to hand back the clothes she decided against. About halfway down the hallway, Charlotte found herself colliding with another blonde figure.

"Sorry," she apologized in response to the annoyed expression on the blonde's face.

"Look where you're go- " she began then her expression turned to curiosity "You're not from around here." she stated.

"No, i'm not" Charlotte replied hesitantly wondering what gave her away.

"I know everyone here," the girl replied to her confused stare. "And I haven't seen you around before."

"Yeah I just got here not to long ago." Charlotte replied, if only this girl knew how short that 'not long ago' really was.

"Well, I'm Caroline Forbes" the blonde girl chirped "welcome to Mystic Falls!"

"Thanks," Charlotte replied watching the girl who was a little too preppy. She tried walking around her but Caroline fell into step beside Charlotte her multitude of questions never ending.

"So what brings you here?"

"It's a long story."  
"How long are you staying?"  
"I'm not sure"

"Do you work around here?"  
"No"

Eventually Charlotte managed to get to the checkout line and Caroline finally left her to do more shopping. It was so strange to think that Damon had grown up in this town, that this was his home. I was almost impossible to contemplate the idea of calling a town your home, after all Charlotte had never had much of one. Her childhood hadn't been particularly good and once she saw the opportunity to leave she did, and never looked back. Now she just went from town to town looking for the next job. _Not anymore_ she thought. Damon seemed to have broken her routine, not that Charlotte was complaining. She sighed, _he better have a good excuse _she thought and checked out her remaining items.

As she exited the store and sat down on the curb placing her four bags beside her, Charlotte pulled out her phone, the one thing that she managed to keep from her old life. As soon as she turned the screen on, it buzzed to signify a new message. Curious, Charlotte tapped on the message icon at the bottom of her phone screen and was surprised when she saw who the sender was.

Damon: Sorry about today, i'll be there soon

When had he put his name in her phone? Charlotte couldn't remember ever giving it to him yet here it was as if by magic, which wasn't that unlikely anymore. He would be here soon, she mused, Damon had better have a good explanation.


End file.
